U.S. Patent no. 10,279,266: Monitoring game activity to detect a surrogate computer program

Issued May 7, 2019 to International Business Machines Corporation
Priority Date June 19, 2017

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,279,266 (the ‘266 Patent) relates to monitoring electronic game activity to detect that an electronic game is being controlled or played by a surrogate computer system. Specifically the idea of having a bot play the game. The ‘266 Patent describes a method which includes a processing device monitoring game activity. It then compares the characteristics of the monitored game with the expected characteristics of the monitored game activity. The invention also is directed at a system for detecting surrogate computer program usage in an electronic game. Botting has been a long-standing problem in online multi-player games that can interfere with game balance and virtual economies. This patent attempts to provide another solution to this problem.

Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented method for monitoring game activity of a game system. A non-limiting example of the method includes monitoring, by a processing device, game activity of the game system. The processing device determines characteristics of the game activity, along with expected characteristics of the game activity. The processing device analyzes the characteristics of the game activity and the expected characteristics of the game activity. Based at least in part on analyzing the characteristics of the game activity and the expected characteristics of the game activity, an entity that is controlling the game system is determined.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A system for monitoring game activity of a game system, the system comprising: a memory comprising computer readable instructions; and a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising: monitoring, by the processing device, game activity of the game system; determining, by the processing device, characteristics of the game activity; determining, by the processing device, expected characteristics of the game activity based at least in part on a cognitive reaction time of a human and a motor reaction time of the human, wherein determining the expected characteristics of the game activity comprises generating, based at least in part on the cognitive reaction time and the motor reaction time, a three-dimensional closed-hull boundary representing human limits; analyzing, by the processing device, the characteristics of the game activity and the expected characteristics of the game activity; determining, based at least in part on analyzing the characteristics of the game activity and the expected characteristics of the game activity, whether a human is controlling the game system, wherein it is determined that the human is controlling the game system when game activity is within the three-dimensional closed-hull boundary; and determining, based at least in part on analyzing the characteristics of the game activity and the expected characteristics of the game activity, whether a surrogate computer program is controlling the game system, wherein it is determined that the surrogate computer program is controlling the game system when game activity is not within the three-dimensional closed-hull boundary.